Brown Sugar Strawberry Scones and Monthly Posts

Ah, interwebs. How I've missed you.

HighAltVeg will be switching to monthly posts, due to some unexpected medical issues on my end (see: neurological disorders). This means you get extra deliciousness and heavier testing on the recipes, and it means that I get to focus a bit more on my professional practice and volunteering here in Fort Collins. So as posts slow down, know I'm not leaving the blog: just slowing it down to fit the relaxed, easy-going vibe of Colorado. (I know, I become more and more of a "granola" hippie every day, and I love it!)

Moving on....

Ah, scones. How I've missed you even more.

Scones are, for some reason, rumored to be notoriously hard to make and always super unhealthy. While the hard to make part may not be true, the unhealthy part normally is. To give you an idea, a popular coffee shop across the US has seasonal fall scones that clock in at 34g of sugar and 18g of fat.

Gross numbers.

At a local place in Fort Collins, though, I can never go in without getting one of their scones. They're packed with local strawberries, the sweetness of sugar (so much sugar), and then topped with a slightly tart lemon glaze that refreshes and balances the sweetness. And, of course, they're packed with butter and oil.

My obsession with these scones became a bit too much after I kept driving and getting one every single day, which led to a hit in my small paycheck (because: college). So one day, when I just couldn't resist having a scone anymore, I decided to recreate them. I wanted the superb flavor, but without the negatives of daily doses of fat and sugar.

IT WORKED.

These scones cut the fat and calories significantly, while utilizing a majority of sugar from the natural sweetness of the strawberries. A touch of brown sugar makes it extra delectable. Instead of doing a powdered sugar and lemon glaze, I added some creaminess and depth by mixing lemon with vanilla nonfat greek yogurt. These taste (and look!) just as good as the ones from my local coffee shop, which is awesome.

NOM NOM NOM.

Brown Sugar Strawberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
Serves 8

Scone Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 2/3c. all-purpose flour
• 1/3c. packed brown sugar
• 1T baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/4t salt
• 3/4c. fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
• 3T warm water
• 1 large egg
• Zest of one lemon
• 8 strawberries, thinly sliced

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1T lemon juice (or more, depending on glaze consistency desired)
• Zest of one lemon 
• 1/2c. fat free vanilla Greek yogurt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well and sift if there are any lumps. Add Greek yogurt, water, egg, and lemon zest, and stir (don't whisk) until just combined.
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for one minute. Expect the dough to try and fall apart a bit, and don't worry about it. 
4. Divide the dough in half and shape into rounds, then place on baking sheet. Pat down until each round is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick. With a wet knife, cut each round into quarters but don't separate them. Place the equivalent of one strawberry on each to-be-scone, pressing down slightly so they stick. 
5. Place baking sheet in middle of oven and cook for 15-17 minutes, until a golden brown. Allow to cool slightly.
6. While scones are cooling, combine lemon juice, zest, and yogurt in a small bowl. Mix well, then drizzle over the scones. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. 

Nutritional Information:
Sodium: 315mg
Total Fat: 1.1g
      Saturated: 0.3g
      Trans: 0g
Protein: 7.5g
Sugar: 17.1g
Calories: 188

Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping

 There's something about cheesecake that makes it acceptable any time of the year.

It really is one of those desserts that can fit any occasion. You can do a Fall Pumpkin cheesecake. A birthday rainbow sprinkle and chocolate chip cheesecake. There are recipes for cheesecake dip and cheesecake bites and vegan cheesecake and on and on and on. It's very much unlike hot soup, which I can't stand in the summer, or fruity Popsicles, which do not belong in Colorado winters. 

This cheesecake was inspired by a huge lemon binge that I've been on recently. Everything has been so bright and sunny (84 degrees today!) and the sky has been so blue, and my cravings are really influenced by the weather (cough, see the picky statements above, cough). 

It almost tastes like blueberry lemonade, which is what I came very close to calling it, before I decided that was too stereotypical. Plus, lemonade has a certain.... sweetness to it most of the time that replaces the bright and fresh lemon flavor. This cheesecake keeps that flavor, and the blueberry reduction on top just balances it all out beautifully (and makes it look so nice).

Almost all of my recipes end up being brought to work, because it's just me at my house (and my boyfriend, but he doesn't like sweet things very much), and I had a ton of people ask for the recipe. One woman asked, "Alright, this is delicious, how bad is it for me?" and then I told her it wasn't, she was shocked. It's a really rich-tasting cheesecake that is lightened up significantly with the low fat cream cheese and the nonfat Greek yogurt. I also used two eggs and twp egg whites instead of four whole eggs to cut back a bit on the fat, and Splenda to reduce the sugar amount (you can use sugar if you want, but it increases the gram amount to 46... yikes! That's why I went with the much lower Splenda version.) 

Nom nom nom. 

Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping
Serves 9

Ingredients:

• 1 graham cracker crust, of your choosing 
• 1 (8 ounce) package low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 2c. fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
• 2/3c. splenda (can use sugar if wanted)
• zest of two lemons
• juice of one lemon
• 2 cups frozen blueberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 
2. Meanwhile, place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high for two minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, one at a time, and mix until combined. Add the whole eggs and Greek yogurt, and beat well for at least one minute or until fully mixed. Add in the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and mix just until evenly combined.
3. Place cheesecake on a baking sheet for easy placement in oven. Bake at 350F for 60 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cheesecake comes out almost clean. 
4. Remove cheesecake from oven. Cheesecake will likely puff up when baking, but will even out when let to rest. Allow to sit at room temperature for one hour, then place in fridge for at least 7 hours and up to 24. 
5. On the day you are serving the cheesecake, place the frozen blueberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover until the blueberries thaw and you can see the juice at the bottom of the saucepan. When this occurs, turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for three minutes, or until juice thickens and becomes sauce-like. The natural sugars and pectin in the blueberries will allow it to thicken by itself, so adding sugar or cornstarch is not necessary. 
6. Remove the saucepan from heat, and let sit for five minutes. Spread blueberry topping over the top of the cheesecake, and serve.

Nutrition Information (with splenda):
Sodium: 236mg
Total Fat: 10g
       Saturated: 5g
       Monounsaturated: 3g
       Trans: 2g
Sugar: 16g
Protein: 9g
Calories: 222

Nutrition Information (with sugar):
Sodium: 236mg
Total Fat: 10g
       Saturated: 5g
       Monounsaturated: 3g
       Trans: 2g
Sugar: 46g
Protein: 9g
Calories: 337

Basil-Lemon Cucumber, Tomato, Mozzarella, and Garbanzo Bean Salad

Holy hell of a long salad name, amen! I can't imagine saying the name of this Basil-Lemon Cucumber, Tomato, Mozzarella, and Garbanzo Bean Salad three times fast.

Anyone want to try?

Seriously, though, this salad is packed with all the good stuff. Cucumbers are dirt cheap right now, as are tomatoes, which makes this an easy recipe to feed a crowd. The recipe itself makes ten servings, which is perfect for a big BBQ or a summer picnic, but it can easily be halved or portioned to whatever size you want. Plus it is easy to make. SO easy! I basically cut stuff up, threw it in a bowl, poured the basil-lemon mix over it, and then tossed it in the fridge to sit and marinate for about an hour.

It's a strangely complex salad, in the best way? You get some bright acidity from the tomatoes and lemon juice, and then a cooling crunch from the cucumber, which balances it out nicely. The mozzarella adds just a touch of richness, while the garbanzo beans add some much-needed texture. And of course, what is summer without basil and lemon?

Not summer, that's what.

(On a side note: cucumber-lemon water is my drug right now. I am chugging that stuff by the gallon).

I got in the mood to make this because it is finally, finally getting warm here. And it's probably going to rain tomorrow since I just declared it to feel like summer. Colorado is sassy and likes to go against whatever weather anyone predicts. Wasn't there a Garfield comic once where the weather forecaster said that the estimation was between negative 50 and 1000 degrees? Well, that's Colorado. So I'm taking advantage of the nice weather while it lasts, and making a ton of summery food!

Hope it is just as nice where you all are (and if not, I'll send some good weather vibes your way! It's not like Colorado would listen to them anyway)

Basil-Lemon Cucumber, Tomato, Mozzarella, and Garbanzo Bean Salad
Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 3 large cucumbers, washed and cubed (a bit larger than dicing)
• 10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 (15 oz) can no salt added garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces part skim mozzarella, diced 
• 1/4cup fresh basil, finely chopped
• zest of two medium lemons
• juice of four medium lemons
• 1/4c. olive oil
• 1/2t crushed black pepper
• 1/4t kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Combine cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and mozzarella in a large bowl. Toss to combine, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, black pepper, and salt. Whisk thoroughly for one minute. Pour lemon-basil mixture over the cucumber mixture.
3. Refrigerate for thirty minutes to 24 hours. Serve cold. Best served within four days.   

Nutritional Information:
Sodium: 209mg
Total Fat: 10g
     Saturated Fat: 3g
     Monounsaturated Fat: 5g
     Trans Fat: 0g
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 10g
Calories: 197

Nutrition and Health News: Spring

Every once in a while, I like to make a collection of news stories that revolve around the field of Food Science, Human Nutrition, Vegetarianism, and other Health News. These are studies or reports that are not only super interesting, but also really work to open my mind and remind me that these fields are constantly evolving and finding new information. Click on the links for more info!

Something interesting: according to Ohio State University's new study, keeping food visible in the home environment, outside of the kitchen, could be contributing to obesity. According to the lead author Emery, "The amount of food in the homes was similar, but in the homes of obese individuals, food was distributed in more locations outside the kitchen." There are obviously many factors relating to obesity, but doing simple things like keeping food inside the kitchen is a great start to psychologically crave food less. (Out of sight, out of mind?)

New research from Cleveland Clinic has found an awesome link between a plant-based diet and a reduction in heart disease risk. According to the study, "[o]bese children who begin a low-fat, plant-based vegan diet may lower their risk of heart disease through improvements in their weight, blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol levels, [and] insulin sensitivity..." It is important to note that the study had only 28 subjects and took place over the short time period of four weeks, though. Still, promising for future studies!

Hey, more news about vegetarian diets! According to a study from the JAMA Network Journals, a vegetarian diet helps reduce risk of colorectal cancers. There isn't enough to form a direct causation yet, but compared with nonvegetarians, vegetarians had a 22 percent lower risk for all colorectal cancers, 19 percent lower risk for colon cancer and 29 percent lower risk for rectal cancer. 

The Endocrine Society has found that breaking the soda habit may be due to more than yummy taste; sugar literally suppresses the hormone cortisol and stress responses in the brain.The study took women and divided them among a sugar beverage-drinking group and an artificial sugar beverage-drinking group. Those who drank the sugar drinks had decreased stress activity in the hippocampus, while those drinking the "diet" ones did not.

In the first study to look at prenatal nutrition and genome-wide DNA patterns in adults exposed to severe under-nutrition at different periods of gestation, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health have found that the first ten weeks of pregnancy are incredibly important in terms of food intake. Children of mothers who had less than 900 calories a day during the Dutch Hunger Winter of 1944-1945 were tracked down, and blood samples were taken from them. The now-59-year-olds had supression of genes involved in growth, development, and metabolism. 

On the opposite side of that spectrum, maternal obesity is being linked to decrease immune protection in babies. University of California - Riverside, took blood samples of umbilical cords in mothers of varying BMIs (which they classified into average, overweight, and obese) to look at infant immune cells. The immune cells of children born to mothers classified as obese did not respond as well to antigens (foreign invaders). Let's take this with a note of caution, though, since BMI is being increasingly criticized as a health measure.

The above study also falls in line with one done by University of Adelaide, and another done by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. I want to note that both of these are done on rats, but that the information is nonetheless intriguing. University of Adelaide found that mothers can reduce the chance of their child being addicted to junk food if they push healthy foods for themselves in late pregnancy and push healthy eating for both themselves and the child during the child's adolescence. The American Societies for Experimental Biology had earlier found that eating junk food during pregnancy causes developmental changes of the opioid signaling pathway in the brains of unborn children. This means that the children have less of a response to the "feel good" hormones released when eating junk food, and are spurred to eat more of it.

 
According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, just thirty minutes of any intensity of physical activity six days a week is linked to a 40% lower risk of death from any cause among elderly men. The sample was large-- 15,000 men born in 1923 to 1932-- so it looks pretty promising. Just another reason to keep moving, particularly as you age!

The benefits of protein in controlling hunger have been decently well-documented, but a recent study by University of Missouri-Columbia in collaboration with colleagues at DuPont Nutrition & Health is helping parents to make smart choices about what types of protein to give their kids as snacks. Plant-based protein, like soy, came out as a really good option to reduce overall fat intake and increase healthy proteins.

Lund University in Sweden has looked at some benefits of high-fat dairy products. By studying 27,000 individuals between the ages of 45 and 74, the researchers found that consumption of high-fat yogurt and cheese reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as a fifth. High meat consumption, however, increased the risk of participants. The researchers acknowledge that other nutrients in the dairy products that are not found in meat could have contributed to the results.

More good news about dairy! The University of Kansas Medical Center has found a correlation between milk consumption glutathione in the brain. Glutathione is a naturally-occurring antioxidant, which could help protect against oxidative damage. Oxidation can contribute to diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in older adults, even those who are very healthy.

Raspberry Almond Muffins (Vegan)

Muffins should be a requirement in everyday life.

Fresh, slightly sweet and slightly tart raspberries.

The crunch of almond.

Heartiness (and a pretty blue color!) from rye flour.

Overall, a pretty delicious breakfast (or snack. or lunch. or dinner. Can I eat these always?)

Raspberry Almond Muffins
Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rye flour (optional: can replace with whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2cup sugar or splenda
• 1t baking power
• 1t baking soda
• 1/4t salt
• 1/2cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4cup + 2T unsweetened soy/almond milk
• 1t lemon juice
• 1/2t vanilla extract
• 1 cup raspberries (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
• 1/3cup slivered almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Meanwhile, combine flours, sugar/splenda, baking power, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, soy milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture. Mix with a spoon until the dry ingredients are half-moistened; at this point, add the raspberries. Mix just until there aren't dry spots left (lumps still may be present). Over-mixing can cause tough muffins (yay gluten formation!)
4. Divide batter evenly among 12 normal-sized muffin cups or 6 jumbo muffin cups. Evenly divide almonds among the tops of the muffins, pushing down gently to adhere them to the batter.
5. Cook in oven for 15-18 minutes (normal-sized) or 20-25 minutes (jumbo) at 375F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool; remove from pan and serve for up to five days.

Nutrition Information (using Sugar):
Sodium: 208mg
Total Fat: 7g
       Saturated: 0g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 19g
Calories:227

Nutrition Information (using Splenda):
Sodium: 208mg
Total Fat: 7g
       Saturated: 0g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 2g
Calories:163

Update (Where I've Been) and some Pearl Barley Salad

Wow, long time no write!

I am so sorry about the almost month-long hiatus. I could give you a detailed list of exactly why I've been lacking in my normal weekly updates, but none of you really want to hear about that! Instead, I'll give you a fun little story: I've been working on a student-body political campaign for the last two weeks.

And guess what?

WE WON!!

So all of the sweat (literally), tears (literally), and blood (ok, maybe just a little of this one) were completely and totally worth it. But helping to run a campaign, even if I was just volunteer coordinator, really sucked up a ton of my time. My eating bills this month skyrocketed, because I was on a tight schedule that left no room for actually making food. I would get up at 5AM, bustle around getting all the campaign stuff ready, be on campus by 7, have classes and work from 8-4, go to campaign meetings from 4-6, and then head to the nearest coffee shop and do all my actual school work until about 1AM. Rinse and repeat.

Needless to say, I ate a lot of pre-made food. Even in Fort Collins, which is super granola and all about fresh/local, I felt so weighed down after about the first week. There's something about making a huge plate of vegetables at home, the way you like it, that is immensely more satisfying than scarfing down a bagel or even a pre-made salad. It just tastes better and lighter and all-around more fantastic.

Today is the first day I've really been able to sit back and get all of my daily routines and chores back on schedule. I ran a 5k this morning with a close friend called The Flying Pig, which was great, and then I came home and cleaned everything (I just get in these obsessive moods sometimes where I have to clean?? Does anyone else experience this?? The kind of mood where I-have-to-clean-before-I-can-even-think-of-anything-else?).

And then I cooked for the first time in two weeks.

When I was looking in my fridge I was trying to figure out what the heck I could do with all the random (almost dying) vegetables, and so I naturally moved to the pantry. The Pearl Barley was found, and voila. Introducing a chilled pearl barley salad with tons of vegetables.

This is totally customizable, y'all. It's wonderful. You can throw in whatever vegetables you like. Personally, I always have mushrooms, carrots, and spinach on hand, and then I grabbed some frozen peas in to add a tiny bit of a pop and some more beautiful green color. When I tasted it initially, it was lacking some salt and zing, so to make it more interesting I added feta cheese and lemon juice (which, I admit, it my go-to. If something isn't perfect, cheese and lemon juice usually fix it). The pearl barley adds some awesome texture. It's so close to being like rice but with a bit more substance, almost chewy but no exactly?

Words are hard.

But yes, feel free to mix it up in any way you want. I made enough to last me the whole week, which is awesome because HOMEMADE FOOD. I've been missing it. Cooking and I used to be tight, but the past two weeks strained our relationship. So, clearly, I just need to make all the delicious things that way we can be friends again.

That's how it works, right?

Chilled Pearl Barley and Vegetable Salad
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 5 large carrots, sliced into rounds
• 12 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced in half
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup cooked pearl barley
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• juice of one lemon
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1/2tsp pepper
• 1/2c. reduced fat feta cheese

Instructions:

1. Steam the carrots and mushrooms, either by microwaving them with 1 tablespoon of water for approximately five minutes or bringing them to a simmer in a large pot with 1/4cup water and then removing from heat and sitting, covered, for ten minutes. (Or until tender).
2. Meanwhile, combine the peas, barley, and spinach. Add the steamed vegetables, and immediately squeeze the lemon juice over the mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Move to the fridge and allow to chill for at least thirty minutes.
3. Before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese. 

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 383mg
Total Fat: 2g
        Saturated: 1g
        Trans: 0g
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 10g
Calories: 198

Citrus Rainbow Vegetable Salad

Traveling as a vegetarian (or vegan) can be hard.

I've spent too many airport visits desperately trying to find a sandwich without meat or scarfing down a dry muffin in an attempt to fill my rumbling stomach before a flight. Don't even get me started on road trips, which I've done both as a vegetarian and omnivore (years ago). Let me tell you, omnivoring (is that even a word? It is now) was waaaaay easier. More restaurants are thankfully trying to be more vegetarian-friendly, but I can't even imagine the pain that my vegan friends experience when attempting to get delicious food without having to travel down a back-country road to find a fruit cup.

Basically, I've given up buying things in the air or on the road at this point, and just bring my own. I brown-bag it, if you will. There are a few recipes that are super easy for me to transport and are equally as easy to prepare, since cooking is the last thing I want to be doing on the night before a trip. I can barely manage to remember to pack my toothbrush and deodorant, yet alone make something time-consuming in the same period.

I'm traveling to Arizona at 4AM tomorrow (or, I guess, it will be today by the time I post this on Monday), and I planned ahead. One trip to Whole Foods (yes, I am that person, but how can you blame me? Whole Foods is so cozy and everyone is so granola, plus there are so many kinds of cheese) and I was all set. Because I've found that the one go-to thing that I can pack on a consistent basis without messing it up is roasted vegetables.

You can use whatever combination of vegetables that you like, but I personally enjoy basically eating a rainbow and because of that like to pack in as many colors as possible. Add a touch of salt and pepper, plus some lemon juice, and a roasted vegetable salad works as the perfect pick-me-up. Because, being realistic here, we all know that traveling on a plane or driving for hours in a car isn't always the most invigorating experience. Citrus makes me feel way more refreshed and awake, which helps make the trip just a tad more bearable. Plus this travels so well and can be eaten with fingers if necessary.

It's happened.

Don't judge.

Citrus Rainbow Vegetable Salad
Serves 8 sides, or 4 mains

Ingredients:

• 1 large head broccoli, florets only, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small head purple cauliflower, florets only, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small head orange cauliflower, florets only, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch half-ringlets
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
• 5 carrots, sliced into rounds (approximately 1.5cups) 
• 1 cup chopped fresh kale
• 7 cloves garlic, whole but peeled
• 1 large shallot, sliced into 1/4-inch half-ringlets
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/4t salt
• 1/2t pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Meanwhile, combine broccoli, both cauliflower, and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl. Toss to coat the vegetables with oil. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, and dump vegetable mix onto the sheet. Spread into an even, single layer.
3. Repeat step 2 with the onion, bell pepper, kale, garlic, shallot, and remaining one tablespoon oil. Spray a medium baking sheet with cooking spray, and dump second vegetable mix onto the sheet. Spread into an even. single layer.
4. Put both trays in the oven. Cook vegetable mixture number 2 for approximately 15-20 minutes, and vegetable mixture number one for 25-30 minutes, or until tender. 
5. Remove from oven and immediately transfer both mixtures into the same heat-proof bowl. Pour lemon juice over the vegetable mix, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Best served semi-warm or cool, and can be stored for up to five days in the fridge.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Crepes

Does anyone else find it impossible to walk into Barnes and Nobles without buying something?

Seriously. I've always had some type of a love affair with books, so B&N might as well just be labeled "Michelle Give Up Saving Money and Buy Books You Don't Have Time To Read Instead". It gets pretty intense when I walk in there. All the books are just so perfectly arranged with such pretty covers and endless ideas inside them! They're enticing. Especially because I am a naturally curious person (almost to a fault, in fact-- my questions often get me into uncomfortable situations with strangers). Books are just full of so many things that I want to learn and haven't yet, and they are never ending. I just love the idea of an infinite amount of knowledge floating around different societies, all impacting people in one way or another.

I'm pretty sure I'm just justifying my addiction to reading with some poetic and philosophical blabber, but whatever. It works. I actually branched out from my fiction section and invested about $150 in some Marketing, Management, and Psychology books that I've had my eye on for a few months. I also saw a new book concerning eating eisorders (actually, anorexia mainly), and so I pounced on that right away. When I first entered college, I was absolutely positive I was going to work with eating disorder patients. My goals have since changed to prenatal and early childhood nutritional counseling, but I can't help still sticking my nose into the eating disorder literature that I see. I actually finished the book, which is How To Disappear Completely: On Modern Anorexia, in a few days because it was so dang good.

Ok, I know that this is supposed to be a cooking blog, not a book one. I'll get on with it, and stop ranting about the money that I pour down the drain for cut-up trees, some ink, and a plethora of ideas and proverbial experiences.

Today's recipe really just fits the mood I'm in, which is chocolate + banana + peanut butter. I sometimes get random cravings for bananas (and, let's be honest, everyone always wants chocolate), and it can be boring to just keep adding them to yogurt/oatmeal each morning. So I've gotten into the habit of spreading some type of nut butter (usually almond, but peanut butter is good too) on the banana and eating it like that. I figured I would combine all three into a recipe, and it didn't take long for me to know exactly what I wanted the form to be. This weekend, I had some extra time to play around and decided that I was going to tackle the crepes that have been floating around my mind for a decent amount of time. These crepes are honestly just delicious, and they were fun to make!

Something that I know a few of you are thinking: Oh no. Crepes. I'm not a French chef, I just cook at home for fun, so why would I want to try something so hard? And to that I say: blasphemy! We are wayyyy too risk-adverse as a society, and we underestimate our own skills. People are really afraid of making crepes, because they seem to fancy, but I 100% believe that you (yes, YOU, right there) can take these crepes and not only make them, but make them awesomely! It's totally worth the first few mistakes, because you get an end result of creamy honey-peanut butter spread, a drizzle of decadent chocolate, and sweet banana, all wrapped up in an indulgent little package. For breakfast. Breakfast! Perfect excuse to eat sweets, particularly ones that are actually healthier for you.

(But you won't know it).

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Crepes

Makes 8 Crepes

Ingredients:

Batter:

• 1/4c. (34.5g) whole wheat flour
• 1/4c. (34g) all purpose flour
• 2tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3/4c. unsweetened almond milk
• 1/8tsp salt
• 2tsp melted butter
• 2 tbl sugar
• cooking spray
• 1tsp vanilla

Filling:

• 1/4c. smooth peanut butter
• 1/4c. honey, warmed (microwave works wonders)
• 1/2c. low fat cream cheese
• 4 small bananas
• 1/2c. sugar-free chocolate syrup (such as Hershey's)  

Instructions

1. Whisk all batter ingredients in a bowl until smooth. The batter will be watery.
2. Heat up a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray, and then gently wipe the pan with a paper towel so the spray is evenly covering all of it.
3. Using a ladle, pour 3tbl of batter onto the center of the pan.
4. Holding onto the handle of the pan, remove it from the heat and swirl the pan so the batter coats the bottom of the pan. You want to make the coating as thin as possible.
5. The batter will quickly (about 1 min or less) dry and loose its shine. It's time to turn the crepe over. Use a non-metal spatula to loosen the crepe from the pan. Use the spatula to flip over the crepe. It's perfectly acceptable to use your fingers if necessary.
6. Continue cooking the crepe until it is done. You will know because the sides will start to rise up very slightly, and it will no longer look "gummy" or "watery". After the crepe has finished cooking, gently slide it out onto a plate. If you like, you can stack the crepes in a ovenproof dish and keep them warm in the oven set at 195 degrees.
7. To make crepe filling, place peanut butter, honey, and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until well-mixed and creamy, about 1 minute. Cut each banana into round slices (cutting width-wise), making them very thin, and set aside.
8. To assemble the crepes: Take a cooked crepe and lay it out on a plate. Spread 1 and 1/2tbl of the peanut butter mixture on the top half of the circle, then cover it with banana slices (the equivalent of 1/2 of a banana). You can either fold the "unfrosted" half of the crepe on top of the frosted half and then fold again, or you can roll it up. Drizzle each crepe with 1tbl of the chocolate syrup. 

Nutritional Information (Per Crepe):

Sodium: 121mg

Total Fat: 8g

       Saturated: 3g

       Trans: 0g

Protein: 6g

Sugar: 23g

Calories: 242